Armed clashes in the area of Sidi Khreibesh and near the Baladi Hotel in the center of Benghazi are still ongoing, sources in Benghazi have confirmed. The Special Operations Room of Dignity Operation said that they are surrounding the Baladi Hotel where a number of Benghazi Shura fighters are barricaded. This comes at a time the Dignity Operation forces have repeatedly announced the end of military operations in Benghazi, the last of which was on Thursday when they declared taking control of the entire city.
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An official from the petroleum sector has revealed that maintenance work on the oil pipeline that was exploded last week will take place on Saturday or Sunday. The chairman of the National Oil Corporation, Mustafa Sannallah, had previously announced that the maintenance operations would take a week from the start of the process. The pipeline blast south of Sidra oil port last Tuesday, which was described by the National Oil Corporation as a terrorist act, caused a reduction in Libya's oil output to between 70 to 100 thousand barrels per day.
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The Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said that his proposal to start a military mission in Niger to combat human trafficking and terrorism came at the request of the Nigerian government earlier this month in order to benefit from the Italian experience in countries such as Libya. Gentiloni clarified in a press conference that the dispatch of 470 Italian soldiers to Niger to combat immigration gives an indication that the phenomenon of illegal immigration can be controlled, especially after the drop in the deaths of migrants coming to Europe through the Mediterranean.
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The head of Tawergha Local Council, Abdul Rahman Shakshak, said that they are finalizing arrangements for the agreement reached between Misrata and Tawergha. He clarified in a statement that the Central Military Command is to provide security for Tawergha people on their return to their town, stressing that the government must assume its responsibilities in preparing and equipping the town with electricity and necessary supplies. He also pointed out that the value of financial compensation and reparation between the two cities is estimated at 460 million, including 170 million share for the dead, wounded and detainees from Tawergha. Each Tawergha family will also receive an amount of 12,000, he added.
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The Military Engineering Unit (MEU) of the Sirte Security Force has managed to dismantle four landmines inside the city. On its Facebook page, Al-Bunyan Al-Marsoos Operation said that the MEU discovered two mines near the district of Al-Aqwas, and a third in Adhair district, while a fourth mine was found next to Bin Hammal Mosque. Al-Bunyan Al-Marsoos pointed out that the mines were Howitzer shells ready for detonation. The Sirte Security Force was commissioned to secure the city after the liberation from ISIS group in late 2016.
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The Libyan Antiquities Authority (LAA) has launched an archaeological survey project in the area extending from Tocra town to Tolmeita with an area of approximately 40 km along the eastern coast of the country. The step comes in the framework of recording, documenting and evaluating the archaeological sites which may be harmed by natural hazards or human interference. The LAA confirmed that the project will continue for fifteen days and aims to establish a database by the "GBS" technique for archaeological sites that have not been registered yet.
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The Arab Organization for Human Rights has called the Presidential Council to take necessary measures regarding the return of the displaced people in the country similar to the ones it has taken for the return of Tawergha IDPs. In a statement issued on Thursday, the organization urged the Presidential Council to ensure the safe return of displaced persons to their cities and areas in Mashashiya, Wirshiffana, Ubari, Kikla, Awaynia, Sirte and Benghazi. It also welcomed the agreement reached between Misrata and Tawergha to return the displaced people of Tawergha to their homes after nearly six years of displacement.
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Nigerian officials have announced that thousands of Nigerian migrants and refugees have returned to their country from Libya as part of a campaign to facilitate the return of migrants stranded in the north African country. The National Agency for Emergency Management in Nigeria clarified that the total number of migrants and refugees returning to Nigeria is estimated at about 6,672. The agency added that the process is running smoothly, indicating that until Thursday it received a new flow of returnees from Libya including 257 immigrants, who arrived in Lagos aboard an Afriqiyah Airways plane.
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